There are a lot of young people who are expected to live long, healthy and happy lives so when they die suddenly without any warning, people cannot help but feel sad about the life that was lost. This is exactly what happened to Jennifer Tinney. She used to be an honor student who came home to her hometown in order to attend the first communion of her cousin. This seems to be very harmless until she got killed by a drunk driver.
Jennifer Tinney used to be a runner. This is something that she used to be passionate about. Running can always give people a certain high. Some even say that once they experience a “Runner’s High,” they normally become even more inspired to run. Jennifer thought that nothing bad was going to happen to her. She was doing a usual route, Boxford 5 – mile but suddenly, her life was taken away from her.
Jennifer used to be the captain of the Masconomet cross country team so it goes to show that she was passionate about it. Ever since she died, the Tinney family would go back to the same spot every year. It is bitter-sweet for all of them but they do it in the memory of Jennifer.
She Turned Her Life Around
A lot of people never thought that Jennifer would be a good student in college. This is because she did not do a good job in high school. She used to say that her bad grades are caused by her defiance and hatred for high school. She has promised that in college, she is going to become better. This is exactly what she did. The moment that she got in college, she turned her life around. This is precisely one of the reasons why the Tinney family feels agitated about the whole thing. She used to be someone who had a lot of promise. It seemed that she was going to have a good future –which she will never be given the opportunity to experience.
What probably was even more hurtful at that time is she was with her mother when she was killed.
The Memorial Road Race
Fate cannot be changed but Jennifer’s death has managed to change some things. It made a lot of people around her realize that driving under the influence of alcohol and even drugs will never have a good ending especially if there are other people who will be affected. There are people who are killed and injured by drunk drivers every year and the sad thing about this is that drunk drivers usually feel the guilt when it is too late – a person’s life can never be given back anymore. The awareness has made people become more responsible drivers.
It also helps that Jennifer Tinney Memorial Road Race is successful every year. The proceeds go directly to the Jennifer Tinney Scholarship Fund that is being offered by the Masconomet High School. There are people who join the race because it is for a good cause. Some people become inspired by Jennifer’s story and participate. If you are within the area, you should sign up for the next race. What you do will make a lot of difference.
The race itself has been done for decades and there are some people who save the t-shirts every year. It will serve as their souvenir of participating in the race. The race usually starts at the firehouse located at Middleton Road. The runners will set off going to the Depot Road. The path will be on a descent before going up the Cadet Pond that is interconnected with Ipswich Road. The participants of the race would go to Kelsey Road and then Woodcrest Road. They will then go to Georgetown Road before finally finishing at the Old Town Hall.
There was a change with the normal route of the race when the accident with Jennifer Tinney happened. It was not really because of the route why Jennifer has lost her life when you think about it. It is because of the irresponsibility of the drunk driver who hit her. If only people would become more aware of their actions and the repercussions of their actions, then accidents like this can be avoided. Lives do not have to be lost in order to inspire. This is something that people should always remember.
